In Summary
- These 62 players, including Douala, were suspended for double identity.
- Age manipulation within African football youth setups
- Excluded players can also lodge a complaint with Fecafoot
More than 60 players have been suspended by the Cameroonian football federation, which suspects them of having lied about their age.
The Cameroonian Football Federation published on Sunday the list of players selected for the up and down play-offs of the championship.
And in the document, 52 player names are in red, with the following motif: “Double identity”.
READ also: Cameroon Coach Rigobert Song has been sacked
17yr Old AFCON star Nathan Douala
Among them, Nathan Douala, who was presented as the youngest of the last CAN with his announced 17 years.
The Victoria United midfielder allegedly falsified his age and was not born on June 15, 2006.
However, Nathan Douala was selected for the AFCON 2023 by Rigobert Song. At 17, he was even the youngest player in the tournament.
However, FECAFOOT’s investigation has found Douala’s true age according to a viral post on social media, with the player one of 62 suspended domestically for “double identities” over false ages.
The Players Soccer Career
Douala, who became an overnight star at AFCON 2023 before returning to Victoria United, has seen his burgeoning career thrown into turmoil by the revelations
The age deceptions raise huge integrity issues for FECAFOOT and CAF, with Douala likely to face a lengthy ban for competing at the international level under pretences.
Excluded players can also lodge a complaint with Fecafoot.
READ also: Cameroon, Namibia Complete List Of Qualified Teams For 2023 AFCON
Age Deception In Africa
This is not the first time Africa’s football has experienced this cases,
In January last year Cameroon dropped 32 players from their under-17 men’s national team squad after they failed age eligibility tests.
Back in 2016, just under half of Nigeria’s under-17 team were ruled out of an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier due to failed tests.
According to FIFA, citing a study conducted by its Medical Assessment and Research Center and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2007, complete fusion of a player’s wrist indicates a 99% certainty that the player is over 17 – although this has been disputed in some medical circles
